Angela Benson
Do you realize that in a few days we will have read through the entire Old Testament? Well, we’re almost there. We’re on Day 62 of the 90 Day reading plan. For those of you counting, you’ll notice that I’m behind a day. Well, I taught this again weekend, and didn’t read my entire allotment each day. I’m at Ezekiel 40 when I should be at Ezekiel 47. I may catch up today, but we’ll play it safe and keep the day at 62. Since the 90 program only has 88 days of readings, we’re still on schedule to finish reading the Bible in 90 Days. We lost one day the first weekend I taught and we lost one day this weekend; meaning we can’t miss any other days if we’re to remain on schedule.
Now on to this week’s reading of Jeremiah, Lamentations and Ezekiel. As I’ve read the Old Testament, I’ve tried to keep my focus on the Old Testament and not draw conclusions or make comparisons to the New Testament. I found it difficult to hold to that position as I read Isaish, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Ezekiel. While the prophetic references to Christ in Isaiah were unmistakeble, Jeremiah and Ezekiel made me see Christ as well. With Jeremiah, it was his life. You know, the guy had a rough road to travel. All he did was speak the words the Lord and given him and people went crazy. They plotted against him, beat him up, and threw him in jail. All because he spoke the truth the Lord had given him to speak. As I read what they (here I”m talking Judah’s religious leaders, the priests) did to him, I saw a preview of how the religious leaders would treat Christ. It’s a reminder that the truth is not always welcome, even within the religious community. Sometimes, they really do “shoot the messenger.”
Now Ezekiel was sorta deep. As a man of visions and allegory, he had his own challenges. Anyway, things got really deep when the Lord told him his wife was going to die and he wasn’t to mourn her because he was to be an example to Judah how they were going to act when Jerusalem was destroyed. Huh? Yet Ezekiel didn’t question or balk; he was obedient.
These Old Testament passages really do spell out the cost of serving of God, even though it’s hard to imagine the price being so steep today, at least not in the US. Today’s prophets seem to get television shows and celebrity, while yesterday’s prophets were often ridiculed and persecuted. But I wonder if we heed the words of the prophets today any more than the people did back then. What do you think of this passage? Do you think it applies to us/people today?
“Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, `Come on, let’s have some fun! Let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!’ So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t do it! But when all these terrible things happen to them–as they certainly will–then they will know a prophet has been among them.” –Ezekiel 30:30-33 (NLT)
Well, that’s it for me this week. Don’t forget to share with us what you’re learning.
I believe we take our freedom of religion for granted. Not only did they have to pay the price in Biblical times to share God’s Word, but people are still dying TODAY…over 2000 years later for the very mention of Christ’s name.
One of the missionaries I used to work with told me that when she went to the Middle East, she met a woman who’s face had been partially blown off for refusing to denounce Christianity–and she was a new Christian. Well, she survived the shooting and this missionary, when she saw her, just fell at her feet in humilty.
Pastors in Chica are being burned alive. Christians are being beheaded in Muslin countries.
So we are truly blessed to be able to have the freedom to serve God and the freedom to “proudly” say we are Christians.
Now the enemy is trying to slither its way into the US and gradually cause us to lose our freedom of religion here. I hope the saints can see what he’s up to!!
Thanks so much for this commentary again. I think you hit the nail on the head. This is often what tele-evangelists are like: a source of amusement, entertainment. Some do preach God’s word and follow His example. But they too, as it says in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 are taken for fools because people do not accept their serious message.
Yes, Geigh, you are certainly right. We do still have freedom of religion right now. But as the end-time comes, we are told that the Christians left will be more persecuted than ever before in history. Sadly, there are those who call themselves Christians and are totally intolerant of other races. I talked to a friend once quite innocently really, because our surrogate brother is from Ghana. My first love at age 5 was a young Afro-German orphan. My parents, most actively my mother, had always taught us respect and love for anyone who was different in any way. My father, like me, wasn’t much of a talker but we try/tried to live our faith.
Anyway, I used to go to this one church member’s house to do my laundry when I had no close laundry facilities. She was nice and kind and one day we were talking about films. I happened to mention that I like Denzel Washington as an actor and that I couldn’t remember ever hearing any gossip about him. “Ah,” she said, “but I have.” “Oh,” I replied “what was it about?” “Well, I can’t tell you right now but I have definitely heard some things.” She wouldn’t tell me anything more but I realized that day why a friend of ours, Afro-Canadian with a Mohawk Iroquois grandmother, had told my mother and me about the discrimination she faced at our church. I could hardly believe it at that time thinking that she might have been overly sensitive. After that day at Anne’s house, I realized that Marion was right. I had also seen a news-clip on TV when we had an election in which a party that called itself “Christian” propounded the theory that Canada was accepting too many and too varied peoples as immigrants. Right in the front row sat two women I knew.
Huh, I got off topic again. But irks me so much when people are stereo-typed according to nationality, race, language and it must certainly grieve God very much when His children are martyred or marred for love of Him. I remember a native Indian preacher, from India, telling us about being called to bring the message of Christ to a somewhat hostile area in India. A few of the people became believers and in response non-believers, I think burned down his house or something like that. I’m not exactly sure of all the facts anymore but I think he went to the men suspected of having set his house on fire and forgave them. This astonished them so much that they wanted to know for themselves why someone would forgive them for such an act. As a result, quite a number of people in the area came to be saved.
Only God can give us the grace and strength to forgive others for a sin they have perpetrated against us and for us to forgive sins we perpetrated against them. Even non-Christian psychologists know that to refuse to forgive someone is at the heart of many psychological problems whether it’s someone else or even ourselves. May He always give us that grace.
Wonderful posts, Sigrun and Geigh. You both have ministered to me this morning. Please keep sharing your insights with us. We need to hear them.